An integral aspect of the success of an organisation is the employee. While most companies acknowledge this, what they fail at, is understanding the significance of employee engagement.
No target is unachievable for a firm that has its workers ready and roaring to go, so to say. So how exactly does the management ensure that its employees are a happy lot and they are actually ‘engaged’ to their jobs? While there are several ways for the same, here are a few of them-
The first and foremost way is to encourage a team culture. The productivity of any workforce is said to increase multifold if its employees work as teams. So, assign people to different teams and allow each group to work by their own set of rules. This apart from encouraging members to pursue their own goals, also improves the firm’s performance as a whole.
In the same way, allotting personal projects and individual targets should also be done. This, according to experts, will eliminate the fears of an individual of his work going unnoticed- which is usually one of the prime reasons for a worker’s disenchantment with the organisation.
Encouraging a thriving social culture also helps to a large extent, say experts. Keeping track and celebrating birthdays and other important events of employees can build a strong connect with the management, as they get the opinion that they matter to the company afterall.
Similarly, welcoming a newcomer in the right way, too has its own perks in the long run. In addition to the traditional orientation, the firm must take the extra step to assign a senior for the new joinee. This would ease his or her apprehensions and help gel with the rest of the team in no time.
Celebrating ‘office days’ with a variety of themes, also contribute in enhancing the workplace’s appeal, it is said. What can possibly liven up a tense space more than pictures? This, is a key aspect in ensuring all is well among the staff. Having snapshots of fun days and team outings, greet employees every time they walk in, generates an overall positive vibe.
One of the major reasons why firms struggle to retain their key resources is their failure to acknowledge them at the right time. A little word of appreciation or a congratulatory mail is sure to boost the morale of the workers, who will see it as a target for the next task at hand.
We now come to the most tricky part of this entire employee engagement exercise, which is the package part. Several surveys have suggested that ultimately, a hike in salary is what a majority of workers hope for, one that would be instrumental to their decision to stay or quit the company.
However, this must not be done without appropriate planning, otherwise a tactic like this would backfire upon the firm. A careful analysis of the extra burden that would be incurred, if appraisals were to be given, must be made. This can be accompanied by reducing the extra costs related to work, say many.
One crucial aspect, which most firms underestimate is the importance of allowing innovation. Letting ideas flourish can improve the overall energy among the teams, which also encourage people to do better. So next time, managers out there, please think twice before you shoot down an idea from your subordinate.
Moving on, workers need to be provided with all the necessary resources for them to carry out their tasks efficiently. Few firms tend to be lethargic in this case and force their staff to manage with the available equipment. This, according to experts, is suicidal, as individuals turn dispassionate about their work, when ill-equipped to carry out the same.
Last, but not the least, employee empowerment has found to be essential for employee engagement. Gift your juniors the power to make decisions, and watch them mature and turn responsible overnight. This is one of the most sensitive, but highly rewarding strategies to 'engage' with the workforce.
